Sorting holder means for hosiery



E. R. AMMON 2,279,897

', SORTINQ HOLDER MEANS FOR HOS April 14, 1942.

IERY

2 S heets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 24, 1939 April 14, 1942. E. R. AMMO SORTINGHOLDER MEANS FOR HOSIERY Filed Nov. 24, 1939 2 Sheet s-Sheet 2 PatentedApr. 14, 1942 UNITED STA QFFICE 10 Claims.

This invention is concerned with the classification of fabric articles,particularly hosiery. It is directed to holder means which facilitatesthe sorting of such articles into different groups, permits thedifferent groups to be bundled together, and transported from one placeto another without mixing, provides for quick identification as to thecontents of the different article groups at all times, and later enablesthe different groups to be separated from one another, and theindividual articles of each group separately removed, quickly and with aminimum of effort.

The invention is particularly useful in the manufacture of hosiery.After hosiery is knitted and seamed it is inspected for defects on aninspection form such as disclosed in prior patents issued to me, forexample: No. 1,727,498, dated September 10, 1929, No. 2,010,172,datedAugust 6, 1935, No. 2,023,946, dated December 10, 1935, and No.2,090,883, dated August 2%, 1937. Each stocking is examined on the form,and upon being withdrawn is placed by the operator in separate pilesaccording to whetherit is perfect or has one or another of differenttypes of defects. Stockings having defects in the fabric, in theseaming, toe looping, heel looping, etc., are placed in individualpiles. Thereafter they are transported from the inspection department toanother department which segregates all perfect stockings anddistributes stockings having diiferent types of defects to still otherdepartments as the nature of the defects requires.

Heretofore stockings after being inspected and segregated were tied bythe inspector into individual bundles which had to be individuallylabeled with a tag or other identifying means to indicate which bundlescontained perfect stockings and which contained defective stockings.Such procedure entailed considerable effort and time on the part of theinspector.

The present invention eliminates the difiiculties 01' the prior practicejust referred, by providing a sorting holder in detachable associationwith a sorting rack in which different groups of sorted articles may beeasily secured while in the rack and then with the holder removed alltogether without danger of mixing one group with another. The nature ofthe invention will be understood from the various embodiments shown inthe drawing and hereafter explained in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of my sorting and holdingmeans, which includes a sorting rack and a sorting holder detachablyassociated with the rack;

Fig. 2 is a somewhat enlarged view of the holder shown in Figure 1; I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View of a portion of the device shown in Figure1 showing articles in position in several compartments of the rack;

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 3 and showing thearticles afterbeing looped through the detachable holder;

Fig. 5 is a more or less diagrammatic view of the holder after beingremoved from the rack, and with different groups of articles separatelyheld thereby;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a modified form of sorting holderemployed in a special rackin a different relationship than in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a still further form of sorting holderarranged in a sorting rack; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the sorting holder of Fig. 7.

In Figure 1 is shown a sorting rack I0 including a platform II having aseries of partitions I2 dividing the same into a series of compartments.Such rack is placed on a table located back of a hosiery inspection formnot shown) so that as the inspector Withdraws each stocking from theinspection form she may place the same in the proper compartment of therack. The front edge l3 of the platform I l bears numbers opposite eachcompartment of the rack. All stockings having one type of defect will beplaced in compartment l. Perfect stocking may be placed in compartment8, and stockings having other 'defects will be placed in the othercompartments according to their nature.

A detachable holder formed of fabric stripping is arranged along thefront edge of the rack. As best shown in Figure 2, such holder, I4, maybe formed of a piece of tape l5 having connecting means at the endsthereof for detachably connecting the same to the rack. Pins 25 and 26are provided at the opposite ends of the rack platform to support thetape l5 through apertures [8 in the respective tape ends.

The holder I 4 of the present embodiment is formed with a series ofpermanent article-receiving loops which may readily be made by securingto tape l5 by stitching or other connecting means a second tape 16 ofgreater length at a series of points I! and I? to provide a plurality ofloops I9. As shown in Figure 1, such loops will hang below each of therack compartments. Identi fying numbers are stamped on tape l5 for eacltape loop, such numbers being identical with tile numbers of therespective rack compartments. Stockings after being inspected are placedin the appropriate compartments of the rack as shown in Figure 3. Afterone or more batches of hosiery have been inspected, the stockings ineach rack compartment will be quickly drawn by the inspector through theappropriate loop IQ of the holder aligned therewith and then temporarilythrown back into the rack compartment as shown in Figure 4. After thestockings contained in each rack compartment have been inserted throughthe tape loops, the holder I4 is removed from the edge of the rack. Eachgroup of stockings will be separately supported by the holder as shownin Figure 5. Since the holder is made of flexible fabric tape, ittogether with the different groups of stockings held thereby may berolled into a bundle and transported to another depart- 'ment. Asaforementioned each tape loop bears an identifying number so that alldepartments will know the character of the stocking held by each tapeloop. Each group of stockings may be quickly removed at the appropriatetime from the holder and sent to the appropriate further department.

The operator in the inspecting department will, of course, be suppliedwith a plurality of the flexible holders M, as shown in Figure 2, sothat after one stocking batch has been inspected, sorted, secured to andremoved with'one holder, another holder may be quickly secured inposition on the rack.

It is also contemplated to place an articlereceiving holder directly inthe compartments of the rack. While it is possible to use a holder as inFigures 1 to 5, the article-receiving loops of the holder are likely tobe in the way when the operator places the articles in the rackcompartments, unless the loops of the holder are made of considerablesize. Insuch arrangement I therefore prefer to employ a holder having aportion adapted to nest in the series of rack compartments, and a secondportion which will be out of the way of the compartments when thearticles are placed therein and which can quickly be detachably andadjustably connected to the first holder portion to complete the loopstherein after all articles have been placed in the various rack Icompartments.

One form of holder, and a preferred rack construction for use therewithis illustrated in Figare 6. The first portion 2| of the holder isconstructed of fabric strip material, preferably narrow for reasonswhich will hereafter appear, and the same after being secured at one endof the rack by means of a pin 22 or other suitable connection is drapedin the various rack compartments as shown. The second portion 23 of theholder is also constructed of narrow fabric strip material, and untilafter the articles have been placed in the rack compartments ismaintained out of the way of the rack compartments as by being drapedover the second end of the rack as shown in dotted lines at the right ofFigure 6. After a batch of sorted articles have been placed in the rackcompartments, end 24 of the second portion of the holder is grasped bythe operator and quickly threaded through the parts of the first portionof the holder at the tops of the partitions between the different rackcompartments as indicated at point 25, thus forming a series ofinterlocks between the first and second portions of the holder.Thereafter, portion 23 may be drawn tight so as to adjust the'difierentloops 6 to proper size for the quantity of articles (not Shown). ineachcompartment. The free part of the second holder portion adjacent end24 will in Figure 6 by forming each partition, except the endpartitions, with a pair of spaced double walls 28 and 29 of sheet metalor other suitable material, It will be understood, however, that thedesired construction at the top of the partitions may be obtained inother ways.

A further holder adapted to be associated directly with the rack as inthe case of Figure 6 is shown in Figures 7 and 8. In this case the firstportion 3| of the article-receiving holder is provided with a series ofspaced loop elements 32, preferably of some stiff material such as fiberboard, metal, leather or heavy fabric, providing eyelets at the pointsof holder portion 3| at the tops of the partitions between the differentrack compartments. 7

The first holder portion is draped in the rack compartments as shown inFigure '7 and is secured at one or both ends of the rack by means ofbuttons or other suitable fasteners 34 and 35. Secured to the rightendof the first holder portion 3| is a second holder portion 33. After abatch of articles has been sorted in the different rack compartments thefree end 36 of the second holder portion 33-is quickly threaded throughthe different eyelet elements 32., The holder may then be removed fromthe rack with the articles from the different compartments held in loops3! formed by the interconnectionsbetween portions 3| and 33'of theholder.

Any desired type of rack can be used with the holder just described. Bymaking the eyelet ele-- ments 32 of stiff material, it is immaterialwhether the partitions 38 between the rack compartments are narrow orwide at their tops. As a matter of convenience the second portion 33 ofthe holder will preferably bemade of narrow fabric stripping, as in thecase of the other embodiments. The first portion 3| may also be narrow,but if desired it may be made, as shown in Figure 8, of a wide strip offabric, either of the same or a lesser width than the width of thecompartments of the rack. Such arrangement has the advantage of holdingthe articles more or less extended when the holder is removed from therack, and the holder together with the articles held by the loopsthereof may be formed into a roll which is easy to handle duringtransportation.

It will be obvious that the flexible holder may be constructed in avariety of ways, also the rack.

2. Apparatus for sorting fabric articles comprising a sorting rackformed with a series of upstanding partitions dividing the rack into arow of pockets adapted to receive sorted articles, and a portable holderfor transporting sorted fabric articles from the rack comprising a firstlength of fabric stripping detachably mounted across the rack forming aseries of article-receiving loops aligned with the different rackpockets, and a second length of fabric stripping engaging with the firstlength of stripping between the different article-receiving loops.

3. Apparatus for sorting fabric articles comprising a sorting rackformed with a row of pockets adapted to receive sorted fabric articles,a portable holder of flexible strip material formed witharticle-receiving closed loops corresponding to the different rackpockets, and means detachably supporting the flexible holder along theedge of the rack with the loops of the strip aligned with the rackpockets for the transfer to the holder loops of sorted fabric articlesplaced in the rack pockets.

4. Apparatus for sorting fabric articles comprising a sorting rackformed with a series of upstanding partitions dividing the rack into arow of pockets adapted to receive sorted fabric articles, and a portableholder for transporting articles from the rack comprising a first lengthof fabric stripping extending across the tops of the rack partitions andforming open loops in the respective rack pockets adapted to receivearticles placed in the rack pockets, and a second length of fabricstripping detachably engaging with the first length of fabric strippingbetween the loops and serving to close said loops.

5. Apparatus for sorting fabric articles comprising a sorting rackformed with a series of upstanding partitions dividing the rack into arow of pockets adapted to receive sorted articles, and a portable holderfor transporting articles from the rack comprising a first length offabric stripping extending across the tops of the rack partitions andforming open article-receiving holder loops in the respective rackpockets,

and a second free length of fabric stripping secured to the first lengthof stripping at one end of the rack adapted to be threaded through theportions of the first length of fabric stripping supported by the rackpartitions to close the article-receiving holder loops.

6. Apparatus for sorting fabric articles comprising a sorting rackformed with a series of upstanding partitions dividing the rack into arow of pockets adapted to receive sorted articles, and

a portabl holder for transporting articles from the rack comprising afirst length of fabric stripping extending across the tops of the rackpartitions and forming open article-receiving holder loops in therespective rack pockets, a second free length of fabric strippingconnected to the first length of stripping at one end of the rackadapted to be threaded through and interlooped with the portions of thfirst length of fabric stripping supported by the rack partitions toclose the article-receiving holder loops, and recessed portions in therack partitions underlying the first length of the fabric holderproviding for the easy threading of the second length of the fabricholder through, and interlooping therewith, the partition-engagingportions of the first length of th fabric holder.

7. Apparatus for sorting fabric articles comprising a sorting rackformed with a series of upstanding partitions dividing the rack into arow of pockets adapted to receive sorted articles, and a portable holderfor transporting articles from the rack comprising a first length offabric stripping extending across the tops of the rack partitions andforming open article-receiving holder loops in the respective rackpockets, a series of spaced eyelet elements fixed to thepartition-engaging portion of said holder stripping, and a second lengthof fabric stripping adapted to be threaded through said series of eyeletelements to close the article-receiving holder loops.

8. A portable holder for sorted fabric articles of flexible fabricstripping formed into an interconnected series of permanent loops offixed size for receiving sorted groups of fabrics articles, andattaching means for securing the ends of the strip to a support duringthreading of articles through the strip loops.

9. A portable holder for sorted fabric articles consisting of a firstlength of fabric stripping forming the supporting portion of the holder,and a second length of fabric stripping of greater length than the firstlength formed into a series of article-receiving loops and secured atpoints between the loops to spaced points of the first length ofstripping, the respective loops being adapted to receive fabric articleshaving different characteristics, said holder being flexible 0 that theholder together with groups of fabric articles received in diflerentloops thereof may be formed into a compact bundle for transportationwhile the loops maintain the different groups of fabric articles againstintermixture so that the individual groups of fabric articlessubsequently may be separately removed from the holder.

10. A portable holder for sorted fabric articles comprising a widelength of fabric stripping, a series of spaced eyelets extendinglengthwise thereof, and a narrow second length of material secured atone end of said wide fabric stripping and adapted to be threaded throughthe series of eyelets to form with said first length of material aseries of closed article-receiving loops.

EDWARD R. AMI/ION.

